Talking to kids about race (links/articles)

[face]

Thank you all for sharing! I've added several to my reading list.

[bethaboo]

Thank you for the recommendations, guys! I've bookmarked this page to come back to after work and add books to mine and E's collections.

[spunkarella]

Thank you for this thread!

Not all of these are race-related, but I really liked this list of children's books.
www.themilitantbaker.com/2016/03/20-diverse-body-positive-books-for-kids.html

I have also tried to make a conscious effort to select books that have feature children of color, but aren't actually about race. The people in the books just happen to be diverse. Some examples are Corduroy, Ish, Ada Twist Scientist, The Snowy Day, and Baby Babble.

[yellowbrkrd]

Thank you for posting this and all of the additional recs. We have a few kids books but I could definitely do some more reading myself.

[pugz]

Bookmarking this thread. Our library reopens this week. Will go in with this list!

[lo]

Also, if anyone is looking for dolls with different skin tones besides American Girl, we love Corelle. My DD is obsessed with them and loves all her diverse dollies. Ten Little Fingers, Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox is also a good book for toddlers.

[moopoint17]

Thank you all for the suggestions for me and my sons. I'll be adding some of these to my kindle and library lists.

[browneyedgirl9]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm going to check my library and add some to my list

[rupertpenny]

Lots of good recs, I have a lot to add to my wishlist.

I want to second the rec for The Warmth of Other Suns and also add The New Jim Crow.

I've also been trying to go out of my way to read books, any books, written by people of color. With the exception of White Like Me by Tim Wise and the Hamilton bio I haven't read any books for or about white men so far in 2016 and it has been good to challenge myself.

[bcarp30]

I third Bad Feminist and The Warmth of Other Suns. Excellent books. Bad Feminist you could easily read over a weekend.

ETA- meaning, if you want a book to read and comprehend quickly without feeling overwhelmed and that it's too long to start.  

[Pilsy]

Thanks for this! I've thought recently how I need to find some resources for discussions about not only race, but diversity in its many forms.


Not sure this is the right place to say so, but I'm struggling for a way to join the greater discussion here. I don't post from work and, when I am online at night, it's usually only to lurk. That said, it feels fake and almost insulting to chime in now. If I'm perfectly honest, I also fear someone will engage me in discussion and then flame me for not replying promptly, though I realize that's a crappy reason to remain silent. Of course, I feel weird/wrong posting about anything else without saying something about race, too. So, here I am. I've read things here that have given me pause and impacted my behavior IRL. I realize it takes a LOT of deliberate thinking to understand microaggressions in their various forms. I know I'm doing better, but i have a long way to go. I am trying very consciously, and I am more than a little embarrassed by some of the stuff I didn't know until I read it here.

Again, thanks for posting these. I can use the resources for my own edification, of course, and I really look forward to sharing the age-appropriate options with my daughter.

[niq]

I will put in my usual recommendation to express interest to your DCP or elementary school to incorporate an age-appropriate Anti-Defamation League's anti-bias workshops into the curriculum. They have stuff that covers race, religion, sexual orientation -- pretty much anything.

www.adl.org/education-outreach/anti-bias-education/c/a-classroom-of-difference.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

[matildasun]

The author of The Sisters are Alright writes a lot for Bitch magazine. I have not, yet, read the book but have appreciated the perspective I gained from her articles. I am glad it was mentioned in this thread because I keep forgetting to read it and want to.

[anna7602]

I've been listening to the NPR podcast "Code Switch" lately and think it's excellent. The first episode, especially, about discussing whiteness, was fantastic. 

[shelbyann]

This list and post are very helpful. Thanks!

[SJ]

Aug 31, 2016 10:25:33 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

The

Bad Feminist, by Roxane Gay
(as you may want to better understand the white supremacist history of Classical Feminism before proudly waving the Feminist flag)

Just downloaded this to my Kindle app.

It is still hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of not being a feminist because perhaps I am stuck on the idea "who wouldn't think men and women are of equal worth and ability?"  I understand that Classical Feminism and the movements themselves have not been something many women can relate to, and that the goals of the movement have not aligned with the goals, priorities, and needs of WOC. I am probably not making sense, but thank you for the recommendation as this is something I know I need to understand further.

[mishy]

Sept 1, 2016 6:52:13 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

I've been listening to the NPR podcast "Code Switch" lately and think it's excellent. The first episode, especially, about discussing whiteness, was fantastic. 

Thank you. I was going to ask you if you happened to have a link but then I corrected myself to look it up my damn self.

So here's the link for that first episode:

www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/31/479733094/the-code-switch-podcast-episode-1-can-we-talk-about-whiteness

[water*drop]

I'm bumping this post because many posters have added good links both for kids and for educating yourself, and I don't want people who want the information to miss it because it's too far down the page.

I'd edit the title to reflect that it's got links for adults, too, but I'm mobile right now and don't think I can.

[brandienee]

I wanted to add, if you want to know what is happening in the marginalized communities around us follow the Southern Poverty Law Center and your local NAACP chapter.

www.splcenter.org

www.naacp.org

[jln]

We just got a library card this week, so DS1 and I are going to check out some kids books about diversity. We don't live in a very diverse area so I'm trying to focus on reading material that can help guide him so he can do better and learn more than I did growing up.

[cobber06]

These recommendations are helpful. My agency works with a diverse group of individuals, but the books we have don't reflect that.

[karinothing]

Sept 1, 2016 6:52:13 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

I've been listening to the NPR podcast "Code Switch" lately and think it's excellent. The first episode, especially, about discussing whiteness, was fantastic. 

I love this podcast.

[bex]

My library has Negroland, the Sisters are Alright and Bad Feminist! Some have to be ordered from other locations but still. I was pleasantly surprised (my area is very white and um....pretty racist, to be honest). So I placed a hold for Negroland to start.

[carolinagirl831]

Bookmarking to grab some of these!

[awick14]

Thank you all for posting some books and links.

rugbywife- thanx for the Canadian articles. I will read through those.

I agree with loira, we do tend to believe that racism is worse in the states so we kinda stuck our heads in the sand a lot.

I have started working in a more culturally diverse area recently and I feel that I defiantly need to read more about racism and do more to help prevent it from happening around me. There are defiantly a lot of coworkers around me that are very ignorant when it comes to race and it's horrific to hear.

[fryjack2]

One of the reasons I love our boys' school is because of it's committment to social justice. They sent out an email this summer after Alton Sterlings was killed with a huge list of articles for parents, videos and books and questions to help guide discussions for lower, middle, and upper school aged kids, as well as activities to do to help learn about race issues.

Here are a few that I think are relevant to the discussions and threads posted the last few days. These ones are for adult to read:

This one especially. It talks about marginalizing, not speaking up, and being defensive when called out. everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/counterproductive-allyship/

www.scarymommy.com/screw-kids-understanding-race/

www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-53-summer-2016/feature/why-talk-about-whiteness

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tOp7OxyQ8 ( A TED talk about the need to talk about injustice)

lifehacker.com/how-to-talk-about-race-with-your-kids-1681298311

These are suggested activities for younger kids:

Watch The Sneetches by Dr. Suess then ask you child the following questions to open a dialogue.
How do you think the different characters felt in this video?
Have you ever felt left out? What does that feel like?
How did the Sneetches change from the beginning to the end?
Do you think characters were peacemakers or troublemakers? What would you have done?
What things can we do to promote fairness?
How can we include everyone?

Activity: Crack eggs together for scrambled eggs, cake or meatloaf. Use brown and white eggs and discuss how even though they are different colors on the outside they are the same on the inside.
What type of eggs do we tend to buy for our house? Do you think we can try other eggs? What difference would that make? What kind of lesson do you think that would teach us in this house?
How might this example of the eggs relate to our friends or classmates or family?

Reading Rainbow (Season 1, Episode 24, free with a Prime membership)
“A simple misunderstanding almost kept the boys from becoming friends.” What are some examples where this has happened to you?
When you met the two girls, one said, “I just got kind of nervous because I was wondering about all the kinds of things in her house.” How do you feel when you meet someone new? What types of cultural things do we have in our house? What are some examples of cultural items you have seen in other houses?


I have more that I can dig up if anyone is interested. I kept the above links geared towards kids younger than about 8 since that seems to be most of this board.

[belovedbride07]

I'm looking forward to reading some of the things that have been posted for adults, and exploring the kid-related info too. I really just need to make the time. I tend to lack follow-through on long articles and books.

A friend from high school posted this workshop from Everyday Feminism this morning -- Healing from Toxic Whiteness to Better Fight for Racial Justice. (compassionateactivism.leadpages.co/workshop-healing-whiteness/?mc_cid=cfdcdd333d&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D&utm_content=buffer13618&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer) To be honest, some of the description sounds like an infomercial -- like, just participate in this and you'll be a better person in minutes! -- but I think I'll give it a watch once it is posted and see how it is.

[loira]

Sept 2, 2016 21:03:36 GMT -5 awick14 said:

Thank you all for posting some books and links.

rugbywife- thanx for the Canadian articles. I will read through those.

I agree with loira, we do tend to believe that racism is worse in the states so we kinda stuck our heads in the sand a lot.

I have started working in a more culturally diverse area recently and I feel that I defiantly need to read more about racism and do more to help prevent it from happening around me. There are defiantly a lot of coworkers around me that are very ignorant when it comes to race and it's horrific to hear.

Ugh. That's awful Awick. See, this is what I meant. Vancouver prides itself on its diversity, so you wouldn't expect to hear that shit. But maybe we should expect it more, and be prepared. I know I've been caught off guard occasionally and have remained silent when I shouldn't have. I am now working on some stock answers so I can override the compulsion to be polite (or maybe it's less about being polite and more about what seems "easy", I'm still examining).

[awick14]

It's awful loira. For an area that prides itself on being diverse there are a lot of ignorant people here.

I do feel like I have been "letting it happen" because I'm the new employee here. I need to speak up but thankfully so far it's only been things said between us and NEVER to any of our patients etc.

[abs]

Thanks for the book recs! I've downloaded several.

Man American History in school was really freaking abysmal.